[jeff]

I will be giving away an iPad 3 Thursday to someone in the forum. Here are the details:

Who: 1 Randomly-selected winner.

You don’t have to be a current candidate to enter – Alums are welcome too!

The selection will be recorded through a screencast.

Note – the winner will be double-checked to make sure they don’t have more than one forum account posting in the giveaway thread, so no shenanigans.

What: iPad 3 – $499 model (winner will have the option to pay for any upgrades/features they want added)

Why: iPads are awesome (I have an iPad 2 … hope I win!) 😉

How:

1. “Like” another71 on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/another71)

2. In this thread, post a CPA Exam or Accounting Career tip (or both) that you think would benefit a College Senior or recent graduate. If you work for a Big 4 or Regional Accounting Firm, interview tips or anything making the process easier would be great.

That’s it … Good Luck!

***

New Prizes Added!

– 5 Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Memberships (Online)

– 5 Complete NINJA Audios

– 5 Complete NINJA Notes

– 1 30 Minute Muay Thai training session at Del Mar Beach (CA) in September (you have to get to Del Mar though) 🙂

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Sarah_H]

#1 Career Tip: Be punctual. No excuses. Leave early if there is traffic, and plan in advance.

Exam Tip: Don't procrastonate after classes are done. Take the test as soon as you can. You will forget more than you think you will!

[Sheree]

The CPA exam is very overwhelming. There will be discouragements and distractions along the way but never give up. I have 2 little ones (10 mos old and 2 yrs old), between my kids, my husband, my home, and my job I always find time to study. I believe as much as studying is very important, it is also important to put your family on board. This makes the studying easier.

I am currently using Ninja notes, Audio, and Yaeger for my FAR study. If I have no time to sit down and watch my video I turn my audio on about that topic. So basically, my home plays Jeff Elliot's lecture instead of “the itsy bitsy spider”, but it is helping 🙂

Its an ongoing joke here (in my house) that when the time for the kids to be in preschool, they can recite the IFRS differences over GAAP than the Alphabet.

Goodluck to everyone.

[jtcali]

CPA Exam Tip: Don't practice the SIMS. If you have the concepts down and the ability to answer the MC questions then you should have the ability to apply that knowledge to the SIMS. SIMS on the exam are going to be different than the SIMS in your practice material. You can save a lot of time by not practicing them. Also, buy the Ninja Notes and read through them once each day during the week leading up to your exam.

[kandisjoy]

CPA Exam tip: Figure out what study method works for YOU. Don't just assume that because several people think X study guide is the best and passed with high scores, that you will also pass with that study guide. Do your research. Get examples of each study guide in which you're interested before you spend your money!

Accounting Career tip: Work hard and play hard. Don't let your job consume your life, but work your butt off during the hours that you are at work. Then leave it there. Always keep a good work/life balance, because your family and friends are what really matter in the end. And if you HATE public accounting or whatever sector you end up in, don't waste your time “putting your time in.” Life is too short, and there are other options.

And just a general workplace tip here: keep your head down. Don't talk about people behind their backs. People in accounting tend to be pretty ambitious, and I have met a lot of accountants – especially in CPA firms – that will stab you in the back first chance they get. Remember that anything that you say can and probably will get back to your boss or other coworkers. Be friendly with your coworkers, but don't trust them too much.

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[theorganizer]

You have to put in the time and do the work in order to reap the reward. When you take notes make sure you really understand what you are writing and that you are not mindlessly taking notes. Do as many practice questions as possible and make sure you understand why the correct answer is correct and why the other answers are incorrect.

Don't get discouraged. Remember that it's only temporary! You will prevail!

[sevmook]

Exam tip.

Never give up and keep in touch with others who are taking the exam. 😉

[koz124]

Be aware of the credits you are taking. It gets expensive when you have to reapply as a special student to obtain accounting credits to cover the ones the board didn't approve. Those defined under accounting electives aren't always seen the same by the board.

Studying with Wiley Review, Wiley Test Bank, Ninja Audio.
Retakes with Ninja MCQ only...awesome!
Far - 1/28 72, 7/22 79
Aud - 2/28 70, 8/14 83
Bec - 4/10 80
Reg - 5/30 64, 7/2 82

[B4Q22014]

CPA Exam Tip: When working on the SIMS, use the research tab for ALL the questions, not just the one asking for a reference.

Career Tip: Network, network, network!!! Networking is so important, especially in this job market. Go beyond your school accounting clubs. Join your state accounting society, association of government accountants, or even your local chapter for certified fraud examiners. It's good to get your name/face out among these groups since it is very likely that people who make hiring decisions will be involved as well.

[jterp1985]

i have a few tips for the cpa exam:

1) don't underestimate the value of practice questions. studying the notes and outlines in your exam materials will help establish the foundation, but applying the concepts is a different beast. pay attention to the wording of the questions – often a single word that is included or omitted will narrow your responses. i have also seen practice questions, or some variation of them, appear on the actual exams. the best approach is to try the question unassisted and then read through the explanation of the correct answer.

2) take breaks during the exam. yes, time is of the essence, but you will be able to answer the questions more effectively if you're not fatigued. these exams are incredibly intensive, and a few minutes away from the screen can do wonders to help refresh you for the next testlet.

3) use the scratch paper. the approach i used in exams was to write out the key words in each question. this was particularly helpful for those questions that ask for a “best' answer.

4) flag tricky questions and return later. it's a good idea to plan out how much time you have to complete each testlet, but if you get stuck on a question it can throw a real wrench in the system. if you get stuck on a question for more than a minute, flag it and come back. some of the other questions in the testlet may even shed light on the correct answer.

5) after the test, try not to go crazy checking religiously for your scores. for illinois, the ilboa posts an update on their homepage when scores are posted. i can tell you that for all tests, my scores were never up before that update.

good luck future cpas!! 🙂

AUD - 82
FAR - 76
BEC - 81
REG - 78

[sweetyellow]

The sooner you take the exam out of school the easier it will be to study. Practice multiple choice questions over and over again. If you fail an exam, don't give up or stress out. Study again and practice, practice, practice multiple choice questions.

[pinkshrimp04]

Interview Tip- Send a thank you note following the interview, a little bit goes a long way.

[Anonymous]

Best Advice: set a solid studying schedule and STICK TO IT! Make studying like a second job, its not something you'll enjoy but if you put in the time it will pay off!!

[wutasu]

CPA test tips:

1) have time to go over materials and MC questions three times…once to see it, second to trying to understand and third time to “actual” understand it.

2) use a pen or pencil that is easy on the fingers so your fingers won't cramped up from re-writing notes.

3) redbull is your closest friend =)

Recent Graduate Tips:

1) Make your resume stand out by putting an interest or unusual thing but interesting about you. I saw some person wrote that their interest is having a very strict, nutrient health diet. I scratched my head on this but at least I remember the person and want to ask the person about it.

2) Recruiters are looking more for personality or interesting life stories…especially if you are trying to get a staff level position where experience is not a key factor.

3) Try out local CPA firms before Big 4 or national firms and after a few years of experience and a cpa license, transfer to a Big 4/regional firm. The best, easiest pathway to make it big. Then get a private job after your experience in Big 4/national firms where it pays big money with less hours.

[Pinkraider]

Best Study Advice: Don't procrastinate (I need to take my own advice). Set up a study schedule and stick to it. MC questions as many as you can. I use Jeff's Ninja Notes and CPA Excel.

[Anonymous]

Career Tip: Start networking as early as possible!! Friends have friends and you never know how much this networking can benefit you

All the best with all your endeavors

[Author]

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